Review of Upside Down: The Creation Records Story (2010) by Nicholas A — 09 Dec 2011

Without doubt, this is core constituency stuff for me - I followed the fortunes of Creation blow by blow throughout the Eighties with the relatively obscure likes of The Loft, The Jasmine Minks and Slowdive as much part of my formative musical education as My Bloody Valentine, The House of Love and The Jesus and Mary Chain. I once headed up to Kentish Town from Berkshire to see Creation's celebratory 'Doing It for the Kids' concert only to be astonished that there were people who liked the same music as me - the event being oversubscribed.

But even I would admit that the story gets more interesting after the Valentines spent all that money on Loveless and a couple of yobbos from Burnage came on board. At the time, I saw the ginger ninja Alan McGee as a slightly gauche figure amid all the trendies but he was as badly behaved as the best of them - coordinating weekend long drug benders from the firm's dingy Hackney offices.

There are some great interviews and good footage of the early days plus lots of Alan McGee looking ludicrous in a pork pie hat.